Purple Blooms Across Kentucky Fields Likely a Sign of Climate Change

Purple flowers across many fields in Kentucky and Indiana are more than flowering weeds. An agriculture extension agent says those purple blooms are a sign of climate change and the increasingly unpredictable weather that farmers have to deal with.

Jon Neufelder is an educator with the Purdue University Extension Office in Posey County, Indiana. He said the flowers are purple deadnettle and henbit and they’re a sign of a warm winter and an early spring.

“We have them every year, but this year because of the warm February, they started flowering a lot earlier. So we’re seeing them a lot earlier. Usually we don’t see them until around April and by then the farmers have pretty well killed them off because they’ve started spraying for production.”

Neufelder said the warm winter has caused overall growth to be about two weeks ahead of schedule.

That could affect the wheat crop because it can come out of the dormant stage early and then become susceptible to a freeze.

Neufelder said the warm winter and early blooms show that climate change is already having an impact on farming in the region.

"I think the research and the science is real, that there is climate change and we’re experiencing it with these extremes in weather. I thinks the facts are that we’re getting earlier and earlier in our planting season and our growing season is expanding. We've got a longer window from spring 'til even late in the fall. Crops don't get frozen out nearly as early they used to 20 or 30 years ago."

Farmers have always had to deal with unpredictable weather, but Neufelder said there have been more extremes in recent years.

"We don't have what we consider a normal year anymore. It's either a late year or an early year, or a too wet year or a too dry year. We just don't seem to just get what we consider average conditions."

Neufelder says the extremes in recent years, like early season tornadoes, heavy rains during planting or growing season, and summer droughts are additional challenges for agriculture.

Related Content

Many farmers in our region are seeing unusually large numbers of crops springing up earlier than usual. Edmonson County farmer Paul Wiediger told WKU Public Radio things are running about three to four weeks ahead of schedule at his farm.

A new farmers market slated to open this spring in downtown Bowling Green hopes to attract customers who don’t normally visit such establishments.

The new market—which will be known as Southern Kentucky Fresh--will be located near the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center on College Street.

Megan Bailey, with the Warren County Extension Office, says the location is within walking distance of many residents who might not otherwise have access to fresh, locally-grown produce.

“That was one of the purposes of this downtown market—to be able to serve an audience that may not have been able to go to the farmers market before. It’s going to be closer to some of our communities that are using SNAP benefits, and they’ll actually be able to utilize those at the market.”

Bowling Green area farmers set up shop outside the Barren River District Health Department Wednesday, in an effort to make nutritional food easily accessible to the community.

Farmers selling vegetables, eggs, meats, and cheeses set up their tents on the front lawn of the health department, and--within a few minutes--business was booming.

A group of local farmers is working to make their products accessible in low-income areas. The farmers used the health department Wednesday as a testing site to see how many consumers would be willing to turn out.

The farmers have purchased a bus with a USDA grant. The bus is being retrofitted to act as a traveling community farmers market. Starting in April, the bus will stop at various Bowling Green locations where access to fresh foods is limited.

The market will also accept forms of government assistance, and will become Kentucky's first farmers market on wheels.